Business Showcase: Ekho

Ekho Ltd. is a venue engagement platform that allows tourist attractions to manage, deliver and analyse their multimedia content in order to optimise both their visitor experience and marketing efforts.

The content is easily managed through Ekho’s intuitive Content Management System and delivered to visitors through Ekho’s proximity-enabled mobile app. Proximity triggered content empowers visitors to explore and uncover the hidden gems of an attraction in a more engaging way. Ekho also caters for multilingual content.

Ekho uses analytics to gather detailed insights into on-site visitor behaviour such as visitor flow and content engagement. These analytics are then fed back to Ekho’s customers as digestible and actionable insights.

How are you different?

Ekho differs from other competitors’ offerings on two main fronts:

Firstly, on the user-end, Ekho’s sleek and intuitive UI combined with its proximity-triggered content creates a unique and engaging visitor experience.

Ekho will do well because of the unique combination of our dedicated team, intuitive and engaging UI, our branding and the resources we dedicate to improving our underlying technology.

What’s more is that at Ekho we understand that truly great visitor experiences are created through great stories. That is why Ekho focuses on helping attractions to bring these great stories to the forefront of their visitor experience with the use of our content management, delivery and analytics services.

Where are you based?

Ekho is based in Monkstown, Dublin, Ireland.

When was the company launched?

The team began developing Ekho into a business upon starting the Launchbox startup accelerator in June 2017. The company incorporated in December 2017.

What have been your biggest wins to date?

In its first year Ekho has achieved numerous milestones such as:
-Winning a place in Trinity’s Launchbox startup accelerator program (Jun-Aug), allowing the promoters pursue Ekho full time.
-Acquiring our first test partner, the Science Gallery Dublin.
-Accepted into and completed Enterprise Ireland’s New Frontiers Phase 1 program.
-Acquired three other established customers around Ireland and will be revenue generating by June, 2018.
-Working with Dublin Business Innovation Centre (DBIC) in their Investor Ready Program.
-Currently partaking in Enterprise Ireland’s New Frontiers Phase 2 program – raising €15,000 in funding.
-Acquired €5,000 Innovation Voucher grant from Enterprise Ireland.
-Ekho featured in the Irish Independent, Irish Tech News and the Irish Times (to be published).

Who are you trying to attract to your product?

Customers: Ekho is targeting all forms of tourist attractions from museums and galleries, to zoos, breweries, city tours and even stadiums and universities.
Users: Ekho is suitable for anyone who wants to know more about where they are visiting. That being said, research infers that our most-likely users will be foreign or first-time visitors to a particular country, city, attraction.

What tips would you give to others looking to build their business?

Mark “Don’t be afraid to get your idea out there and test it. If it is a good idea it will carry you far and if not just remember; “Good or bad, every moment is a learning experience”.
Raef would advise someone looking to build their business to seek feedback and advice, utilising all as much of your network as possible. In Ireland particularly, people with experience in starting their own companies are more often than not happy to meet and help you on your journey.

Tell us about your team?

Raef Tyrrell: Raef is CEO, Co-Founder and Co-Director of Ekho Limited. Raef graduated from Trinity College Dublin (2017) with an undergraduate in Computer Science and Business, achieving a II.I. Ekho was originally Raef’s Final Year Project in Trinity (achieving a First class honors). Raef also interned in EY’s Data Analytics service line (Jun –Sept, 2016). As part of his degree Raef worked on and managed several commercial software development projects.

Raef is a former Leinster SCT winner (Blackrock 2013) and played first team rugby for DUFC for 3 years. Recently, Raef ran the Clonakilty Marathon in aid of Jigsaw. Raef also won Ernst & Young’s 2015 ‘Triniternship’ Case Study Competition (out of 20 teams).

Mark McGeough: Mark is the COO/ CFO, Co-Founder and Co-Director of Ekho Limited. Mark graduated with a II.I in Economics. Mark acted as Captain of TCD Surf Club from Feb 2016 – Feb 2017. Over the course of his tenure as captain Mark more than quadrupled the club’s cash balance. Mark also interned in EY’s Transaction Advisory Services service line (Jun-Aug, 2016).

Currently, Ekho is on schedule to launch with the Science Gallery Dublin at the beginning of Q2, 2018 thanks to our development partner Engine Lab Ltd.

Shortly after Ekho will launch with its other customers throughout Ireland and look to expand its across the rest of the country and into the UK by Q3, 2018.

Ekho will also be seeking investment and looking to strengthen the technical side of our operation during this time. Any contact is welcome.

What are your favourite tech gadgets?

Raef’s is definitely his wireless UE Boom speaker – you can’t beat singing in the shower to a good track. While Mark’s is his Canon EOS 1300D for when he is hiking and camping.

What tech gadgets do you wish you could use to help you?

We think that an Augmented Reality component could add even more value to Ekho’s service and to the user’s experience as it could offer an additional dimension to the visual experience of touring in future.

What are Ekho most excited about?

The Ekho team are really excited about two things;
First, launching with the Science Gallery Dublin. Not only because we get to work with one of Ireland’s top visitor attractions and a global leader in exhibition creativity and innovation. But also to just see Ekho up and running and in people’s hands is an incredibly exhilarating prospect.

Second, Ekho’s strong sales pipeline. We are currently in discussion with three other major tourist attractions around Ireland, one of which is a Top 5 Irish Attraction.

How do people get in touch with you?

Anyone can get in touch with Ekho be they prospective customers, users, investors, content-creators or even proud fanny-pack wearing tourists that want to learn more about what we are doing!
Just message us through our Facebook: Ekho, our Website: Ekho.ie or via our email: [email protected]

If you would like to have your company featured in the Irish Tech News Business Showcase, get in contact with us at [email protected] or on Twitter: @SimonCocking